Updated global directory features 3,000 independent digital media companies

SembraMedia has expanded its global digital media directory, now including more than 3,000 independent news organisations, creators and publishers-in-exile across 68 countries.

Its Project Oasis launched last year as a European media directory, mapping 540 media profiles from 40 countries. The expanded directory now includes research from Europe, the United States and Canada (thanks to LION Publishers), and Latin America, including Brazil (thanks to AJOR), with future plans to extend into Australia, New Zealand, India and Africa.

Users can look up media profiles by filtering search results by revenue source, organisation type, content focus, country and type of coverage. Many advanced filters are also possible to give a more precise search result.

Screenshot: Project Oasis

Search result for UK non-profit news organisations with advertising funding and cover politics

Media profiles contain a broad description of the organisation, plus its location, founding year, publication language, type of coverage. There is a content section detailing themes and types of reporting, plus which tech platforms and mediums it uses. There is also a business and revenue source section detailing tax status and revenue sources.

"This is a carefully curated collection of digital native media that meet our criteria for editorial independence," says SembraMedia co-founder and executive director Janine Warner in an online event for the launch of the directory and an accompanying comprehensive report.

That report highlights key media and regional into sustainability, types of coverage, team formation, innovation, and press freedom worldwide. The organisations in this study range in size, from small volunteer-led initiatives to large, multi-platform ventures with significant annual revenues of more than $23 million.

• Influence and impact: Digital native media has become some of the most significant sources for news in the last 30 years, attracting millions of visitors and even making the top-10 most visited news sites in their countries. 

• Threats and attacks: These media organisations receive more threats as they grow in size, and gain attention through impact and international awards. More than 50 per cent of digital media reported being subjected to online attacks, legal threats, and physical violence because of their journalism.

• Average revenues: Digital native media are growing and on average, annual revenue reported by the media in the directory from Europe had increased to $649,951; average revenue in the U.S. and Canada was $602,821; and in Latin America, $159,825.

• Editorial independence: Revenue diversity strengthens editorial independence. Media in the directory report their primary sources are: grants, advertising, audience support, consulting and content services (in that order). Among non-profit media, the majority report that grants are their primary source of revenue. Among for-profits, the primary source is advertising. 

• Small teams: They have six to eight full-time employees on average, and hire six times more journalists than other roles. Those that have at least one employee dedicated to sales or business development earn four to six times more than those without.

• Mission-driven founder: Founders are often experienced journalists who left high-profile positions in traditional media because they were told they could not cover stories that were "too controversial, too dangerous, or would offend powerful interests."

• Volunteer support: More than 10 per cent say they have yet to make any money at all, but some of the media in the directory that report the highest revenues today were started by volunteers with little or no capital. 

• Women leaders: Digital native media have a high number of women founders when compared with traditional media. More than 50 per cent of the media in the directory were founded by teams that include at least one woman. 

Both the directory and the report were created with the support from Google News Initiative (GNI).

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